Review of Joint Strategic Police Plan 2020-23 and Appendix Combined
North Ayrshire Council · 15 August 2022
Back to Police and Fire and Rescue Committee — 15 August 2022 and its agenda
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 15 August 2022 Police Fire and Rescue Committee Title: Review of Joint Strategic Police Plan 2020/23 Purpose: To advise the Committee of the consultation request and to provide comment for preparation and submission of the response. Recommendation: That the Committee notes the terms of the consultation request and provides comment to enable a response to be submitted. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland developed the Joint Strategy for Policing 2020 -2023, which was approved in March 2020. As 2022-23 is the final year of delivery for the current plan, an initial desktop review was commissioned to assess progress, relevance to future delivery of policing and whether there are gaps in provision of service. 1.2 The views of Local Authorities and other strategic partners are being sought on the conclusions reached. The responses provided will be considered for incorporation into the emerging draft Strategic Police Plan for 2023-26 which will be shared with the Committee for consultative response in later in the financial year. The findings of the initial review are detailed in Appendix 1 for consideration by the Committee. 2. Background 2.1 The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland developed the Joint Strategy for Policing 2020-2023. The Strategy contains strategic priorities, priorities for policing and five strategic outcomes. 2.2 An initial desktop review has been completed and considered the National Strategic Assessment, undertaken horizon scanning to consider future needs and requirements and has also considered progress on delivering the strategic outcomes of the Strategic Police Plan. The five strategic outcomes are as follows: • Keeping people safe through proactive and responsive policing • The needs of local communities are addressed through effective service delivery
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• The public, communities and partners are engaged and have confidence in policing • Supporting our people through a positive working environment • Sustainable policing for the future 2.3 The conclusions of the review are detailed in Appendix 1 and are narrated as follows: Conclusions on the five strategic outcomes • There is evidence of good progress made in 2020-2022 to deliver on the ambitions set by strategic outcomes; • The outcomes remain relevant to current and future context for delivery and reflect the key focus areas identified; • The outcomes are set at a broad strategic level which enables the capture of known and emerging focus areas during the period of delivery and are reflective of the newly published Scottish Government Justice Vision; • The outcomes are currently shaping aligned plans for delivery in 2022/23 and the development of a 5 year Police Scotland delivery plan covering the period 2023-2028. Conclusions on the underpinning Strategic Objectives and Plan narrative • The objectives remain broadly reflective and relevant to current and future delivery context with some amendments or enhancements to language required to reflect increased importance of key areas. 2.4 The Committee is asked to consider the review and provide comment on whether it agrees with the conclusions reached by the joint review along with any further feedback for incorporation into a consultation response. 3. Proposals 3.1 That the Committee (i) notes the consultation request, (ii) provides feedback on the conclusions reached by the initial review outlined in greater detail at Appendix 1 to enable a consultation response to be formulated and (iii) instructs and authorises the Head of Service (Democratic) to submit a response on behalf of the Committee in consultation with the Chair. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 There are no financial implications arising from this report. Human Resources 4.2 There are no Human Resources implications arising from this report. Legal 4.3 There are no Legal implications arising from this report.
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Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland will assess the outcomes of the consultation exercise for equality, diversity and socio-economic outcomes. Environmental and Sustainability 4.5 There are no Environmental implications arising from this report. Key Priorities 4.6 The response to the consultation contributes to the Council’s priorities of developing and promoting Aspiring Communities in North Ayrshire with active and strong communities where residents and communities are safe. Community Wealth Building 4.7 There are no Community Wealth Building benefits arising from this report. 5. Consultation 5.1 The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland will consult on any actions they propose to take in response to the consultation responses received from members of the public and strategic partners. Aileen Craig Head of Service (Democratic) For further information please contact Raymond Lynch, Senior Manager, Legal Services), on 01294 324322. Background Papers Appendix 1
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OFFICIAL 1 OFFICIAL REVIEW OF STRATEGIC POLICE PLAN Phase One Summary INTRODUCTION The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland jointly developed the Joint Strategy for Policing 2020 -2023, which was approved in March 2020. As 2022- 23 is the final year of delivery for the current plan, the Authority Chair and Chief Constable commissioned an initial review of the current Strategic Police Plan (SPP). To date the Review has been undertaken collaboratively by the Authority and Police Scotland on a desktop research basis, drawing on a range of evidence and intelligence that builds an informed position on progress made to deliver against the SPP, as well as changes in the current/future strategic landscape in which policing services will be delivered. This initial review of the SPP took place between January and June 2022. The next phase of the Review (Summer 2022) involves seeking the views of Local Authorities, COSLA, HMICS, Audit Scotland and Scottish Government on the findings and conclusions reached so far, and the proposed next steps of the Review. LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT The Authority is responsible for preparing (and keeping under review) a Strategic Police Plan, which sets out the main objectives for the provision of policing services in Scotland. Section 34 of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 sets out the legislative basis upon which the SPP is developed and kept under review. The current Strategic Police Plan, published in March 2020, consists of five overarching strategic outcomes, each of which is underpinned by three strategic objectives. Further narrative detail under each objective articulates the expected implementation approach and accompanying activities.
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OFFICIAL 3 OFFICIAL FORMAT OF THIS REVIEW This initial phase of the review commenced in November 2021 through a joint working group of from the Authority and Police Scotland. This working group has overseen desktop research and analysis activity aligned to two main workstreams: (1) An assessment of current and future strategic risks, opportunities and challenges affecting, or likely to affect, policing in Scotland, based on a strategic horizon scanning exercise and a strategic landscape review; and (2) An evidence-based review of progress made to date to deliver the fifteen objectives set out in the current Plan. The findings from these two workstreams have informed an analysis of the current Plan, assessing its continued relevance and identifying any gaps or other areas that may require enhancement or re-emphasis. The working group reported its initial findings and conclusions to the Authority and Police Scotland Executive in June 2022 where there was agreement as follows: a) The review’s findings and conclusions to date were accepted; b) Prior to preparing a revised Strategic Police Plan, views from key stakeholders will be sought as part of an engagement exercise undertaken during the summer of 2022 to inform a draft revised Strategic Police Plan; c) The Authority, in consultation with the Chief Constable, will be asked to approve a draft revised Strategic Police Plan in the early autumn of 2022, followed up by broader public and stakeholder consultation on the draft document. It is the intention of the Authority and Police Scotland Executive to have in place an approved final Strategic Police Plan ahead of the financial year 2023/24 to enable Local Police Plans and Police Scotland’s Annual Police Plan 2023/24 to be reflective of the Strategic Police Plan. SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW’S FINDINGS 1. HORIZON SCANNING AND STRATEGIC LANDSCAPE REVIEW This part of the review considered i) the current Police Scotland National Strategic Assessment, ii) a horizon scanning and futures exercise and iii) the strategic, policy and legislative landscape in which a future, revised Strategic Police Plan would be delivered.
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OFFICIAL 4 OFFICIAL i) National Strategic Assessment Review The current National Strategic Assessment (NSA) was reviewed and the content approved by the Police Scotland Executive in November 2021 at its Strategic Operational Performance Board. An evidence based exercise reviewed current areas of focus in the NSA and determined if these are effectively covered within the current Strategic Police Plan, identifying any potential gaps or areas where additional emphasis was needed to inform the future strategic direction of policing in Scotland. The joint working group determined that the underpinning evidence base reflects the priorities for policing and organisational priorities; and that these are captured in their entirety within the Joint Strategy. The review of the NSA identified the following key areas which will likely be described in greater depth and have an elevated status in future assessments: Police Scotland has work underway to address each of these areas and takes a human rights based approach to policing across all key areas. A rights based policing framework is being developed and new strategies for Violence Against Women and Girls and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are also under development. The Cyber Strategy is currently being implemented via the Policing in a Digital World Programme and there is a range of work ongoing to continue to focus on hate crime. The current Plan covers these themes in broad terms. ii) Horizon Scanning and Futures Approach Ongoing horizon scanning outputs from both organisations were brought together and used to form a view on current and future issues affecting, or likely to affect, the policing of Scotland in the coming years. These can be grouped under four key themes: Policing and Society; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; Technology; and Environment and Sustainability. After analysis of projected trends had taken place a series of key recommendations were identified, as shown in the table below. These areas of change will influence policing in the period 2022-27. - Focus on continuing to provide meaningful insights and analysis to enable the service to adapt to trends such as evolving crime types and levels, demand due to mental health and vulnerability, demographics, relationships with seldom heard voices, children and young people and those who are digitally excluded, both internally and externally. - Continued focus on public health approaches, early intervention and preventative approaches. Cyber crime Hate crime Human rights based approaches to policing Violence against women and girls Equality, diversity and inclusion
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OFFICIAL 5 OFFICIAL - Emphasis on collaboration with blue light and local authority partners to enable shared approaches to key challenges and opportunities. - Adopting person-centred approaches that promote participation, that are trauma informed and respect individuals. - Continued monitoring of the both the national security and political landscapes to understand changing demand and priorities. - Improved understanding of how trust and confidence in policing is influenced by experiences in relation to protected characteristics, for example racism, misogyny and sexism, both internally and externally. - Analysis and response to key areas of changing demand highlighted in the Cost of Living report - Investment in and engagement on new technologies for policing in order to maximise policing capability whilst retaining legitimacy, trust and confidence from the public. - Focus on environmental sustainability, both internally with regards to infrastructure and colocation, and externally with a focus on potential new crime types and an evolving role for policing. - Monitoring of the impacts of the spending review and potential future budget allocations to inform SPA, SG and public discussions on policing demand, capability and capacity. - Working closely with Scottish Government and Local Authority colleagues on the development and implementation of the National Care Service to ensure policing demand challenges are considered and that policing is fully involved in developing the new model; - Colleague wellbeing, safety and protection to continue to be prioritised. iii) Strategic Landscape Review This strand focused on ensuring strategic alignment with important emerging and developing areas of policy and strategy including the spending review narrative, future legislation, programme for government priorities, and the recently published Justice Vision for Scotland 2022, Vision for a ‘Just, Safe and Resilient Scotland’. Overall there is good alignment between the Joint Strategy and the Justice Vision, with an outcomes-focused approach taken, and similar areas of focus/principles in place such as being evidence-led, person-centred, trauma- informed and working in partnership/collaboration. The new Vision articulates how all parts of the justice system must deliver person-centred services and enshrine trauma informed practice, which will be reflected in any revisions to the SPP.
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OFFICIAL 6 OFFICIAL 2. DELIVERING THE CURRENT STRATEGIC POLICE PLAN The current Plan consists of five strategic outcomes, underpinned by fifteen strategic objectives. An evidence review of progress made against each objective, drawing from a range of published information and internal Police Scotland documentation has been undertaken. The majority of evidence to inform this review was drawn from papers in the public domain, supported by recorded discussion at Authority Board and Committee meetings. The review has identified clear evidence of good progress made from 2020 to date to deliver on the ambitions set in the Joint Strategy for Policing (2020) under each of the strategic outcomes. This is despite the significant operational challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and delivery of a safe and secure COP26 event. Delivery and decisions over the remaining period of the plan, will also be taken into account in this review of the Joint Strategy / Strategic Police Plan for 2023 onwards. CONCLUSIONS Consideration of the main findings from the review has led the Authority and Police Scotland Executive to agree the following conclusions, at this stage, in relation to the five Strategic Outcomes and underpinning Strategic Objectives and Plan narrative. Conclusions on the five Strategic Outcomes There is evidence of good progress made in 2020-2022 to deliver on the ambitions set by strategic outcomes; The outcomes remain relevant to current and future context for delivery and reflect the key focus areas identified; The outcomes are set at a broad strategic level which enables the capture of known and emerging focus areas during the period of delivery and are reflective of the newly published Scottish Government Justice Vision; The outcomes are currently shaping aligned plans for delivery in 2022/23 and the development of a 5 year Police Scotland delivery plan covering the period 2023-2028. Conclusions on the underpinning Strategic Objectives and Plan narrative The objectives remain broadly reflective and relevant to current and future delivery context with some amendments or enhancements to language required to reflect increased importance of key areas.
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OFFICIAL 7 OFFICIAL Strategic outcome Areas of emphasis Threats to public safety and wellbeing are resolved by a proactive and responsive police service. o Cyber crime and delivery of ‘Policing in a Digital World’, reflecting debates around legitimacy of policing in a private / online space and how the service responds to the continued significant escalation of cyber enabled and dependent crimes; o Violence against women and girls. The needs of local communities are addressed through effective service delivery. o Rights based policing approach; o Person centred and trauma informed policing, recognising areas of increased need and vulnerability, such as mental health. The public, communities and partners are engaged, involved and have confidence in policing. o Enhanced strategic approach to engagement and focus on building relationships with seldom heard people and communities. Our people are supported through a positive working environment, enabling them to serve the public. o Equality, diversity and inclusion (also Outcome 1); o Enhancing culture, leadership and wellbeing approaches aligned to the People Strategy refresh and colleague voice. Police Scotland is sustainable, adaptable and prepared for future challenges. o Delivery, with investment in technology and infrastructure to enable operational policing to continue to respond effectively to threat, risk and harm. NEXT STEPS The Authority, in consultation with the Chief Constable, will consider a draft of the Strategic Police Plan in September 2022. This draft document will reflect the review’s findings and conclusions, feedback obtained from policing partners during the summer of 2022, and outcomes from a Scottish Government review of the existing strategic police priorities. If approved by the Authority, the draft Strategic Police Plan will be issued to the public, communities and stakeholders later in 2022 as part of an accessible engagement exercise. This exercise will inform the development of a final Strategic Police Plan 2023-26 for consideration/approval by the Authority in late 2022/23 which, if approved, will be then be laid before Parliament.
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OFFICIAL 8 OFFICIAL FURTHER INFORMATION This report provides a summary of the review’s main findings and the conclusions that have been drawn. Further detail on the underpinning evidence and supporting information for the review is available on request by contacting: SPA Strategy and Performance at SPAStrategyandPerformance@spa.police.uk